The real stories from inside the F1 paddock

The calendar changes

The FIA World Council has made a number of adjustments to the F1 calendar for next year. The German GP has been moved to July 7 and July 21 is now reserved for another European event, as yet unnamed. This means that there is a one-week gap between the British GP on June 30 and the race in Germany, with the July 14 weekend becoming vacant and whatever event takes place on July 21 being back-to-back with Hungary. As there no longer seems to be a viable French project, it is fair to guess that there is either a possible comeback for Turkey, although shifting the entire F1 circus from Istanbul to Budapest is a 900-mile drive.

It will also mean that the Goodwood Festival of Speed will fall on a Grand Prix weekend, which will mean that F1 involvement in that will reduced significantly, unless Goodwood decides to switch dates.

There are a number of changes to the rules for 2013 and 2014, including a more stringent front wing deflection test and an increase in minimum weight to compensate for an increase in tyre weight for 2013. The ‘force majeure’ allowance when a car stops on the track in qualifying has been deleted from the rules and the FIA will determine how much fuel the car would have used to get back to the pits and add it to the one litre sample minimum. All chassis will now have higher static loads applied to them, whereas this was previously only necessary for one chassis. In practice DRS will now only be allowed in the same sections where it is to be used in the race and the team personnel curfew will be extended from six to eight hours on Thursday night, with only two exceptions will be allowed during a season.

With regard to 2014, the idea of cars using only electric power in the pitlane has been postponed until 2017 while the minimum weight limit has been raised to compensate for additional power unit weight.

I do not believe there is a French candidate left, thus I suppose Turkey is an option. Also the shifting of Germany would see to suggest that there was need to have a race that was within reach of Istanbul by road.

Fingers crossed for Turkey, as I will be surely visiting it next year, if the race is approved.

Important summation, Joe, to me, all those sentences tell one thing from engineering perspective: “Make your car as good as possible in the design stage and the pre-season tests, as not much will be allowed during the season”.

Hi Joe,
I’m assuming the fact that the the German MotoGP race now re-clashes with the German GP after the German MotoGP race moved to avoid the previous clash with the German GP also didn’t enter their minds?

Just checked the FIA’s news release and it indeed says that “changes made to bodywork design, originally aimed at reducing downforce and drag for increased efficiency, have reverted to 2012 specification.” I wonder what happens to all the costs that have already been poured into planning out the 2014 cars.